Rail supporting and securing means



.Octu18,1938. B, ARMSTRONG v 2,133,912

RAIL SUPPORTING AND SECURING MEANS Filed Oct. 2, 1957 2 Sheets-$11561 1 1a 21 21 2a I 15 22 9 25 15 .9 15 23 Oct. 18, 1938. I v B. ARMSTRQNG 2,133,912

RAIL SUPPORTING AND SECURING MEANS Filed 001;. 2, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 18, 1938 UNITED s'rAl-"Es PATENT oFFlcr.

nan. surroa'rmc AND SECURING MEANS Levi Borden Armstrong Great Neck, N. Y; as-- signor to The Lundle Engineering. Corporation. New York, N. Y a corporation of NcwYork' Application October 2, 1931, SerialNo. 166,91;

3 Claims. (01. 2 381-349) The present invention relates to rail supporting and securing means. Its general object is the. provision 01' new and improved means for properly yet resiliently holding a rail ona tie-plate and for I immovably securing the latter to a rail tie.

Experience has shown that the so-called wavemotion of a railroad rail, produced by movement of the rolling stock thereon, has a tendency to pull out of the tie the spikes by which the rail or tie-plate or both aresecured to the tie, and alsotolift the tie out of the ballast. By the use of devices embodying the present invention, a rail is securely yet resiliently hold in engagement with the tie-plate and the latter is immovably secured .15 to the tie, so that the wave motion orthe rail is invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of what is-shown .in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the spring clip shown in Figs. 1 and 2; Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3 showing the cambered or convex end of said clip which engages the flange of the rail; Fig. 5 is an elevation,-partly.in section, similar to Fig. 1 but showing a modifiedform oi. spring clip; and Fig. 6 isa plan viewoi' the spring clip illustrated in Fig. 5, prior tobeing bent into theform shown in Fig. 5'. Like parts are referred to throughout the drawings by the same or similar reference characters. 1

Referring, to Figs. 1, 2 and 5 a railway rail 8. having base flanges 9, is shown resting upon a tie-plate l0 of a well-known form having ribs ll between which the base flanges of the rail are received. The tie-plate I0 is shown as provided with four openings .therethrough, at least two of which are non-circular and preferably rectangular and pass through the ribs ll so' as to be adjacent the location of the edges oi the rail flanges 9, while the other openings through the tie plate are located nearer the edges of the tieplate. It will be understood, however, that the number and location of tlfe openings through the tie-plate may be varied without departing from the spirit of the invention, although it is desirable that the non-circular openings be located in the positions described. The railway tie l2, prior to impregnation with a preservative as is customary in railway practice, has holes thereof. which are.

drilled therein at locations adapted to line up with the openings "in the tie-plate, so as to i'acilitate attachment of the rail'to the tie-plate and attachment or the tie-plateto the tie, bythe means which will now be described. f 5 In the two embodiments of the invention, illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 and in Flgs.'5 and 6 respectively, the means which holds the rail in engage- ..ment with the tie-plateincludes a'plurality or bolts each having a rectansularshanh ll pro 10 vided with a pointed hooked or oil-set end llot "the form ShownQthe" other end "of said bolt being threaded andcarryinga nut ll. .Itwill be understood from the drawings that the rel-m or the shankportion l5 and oil-set end ll of each, 16 of said bolts is such that said bolt is adapted to be inserted in one of; the'rectangular, openings in the tie-plate, from the topside thereof, in a posh tion inclined to said tie-plate and away from the rail, with theofl-set end projecting into the hol -20 in the tie, and then to be swung into'a position at right angles to the tie-plate (as shown in the drawings) with the oil-set end of the bolt inengagementwith the bottom. 01' the tie-platen In v manipulating the bolts into the positions shown 25 in Figs. 1 and 5, after the oil-set ends .I have been inserted in the tie-plate, in a position inclined to the tie-plate andiaway from the rail as above mentioned, it is only necessary to subject the-bolts to the blow of a hammer to bring them 30 7 into the vertical positions shown in which the pointed ofl-se't end or the bolts are jammed into the sides of the holes in the tie, as, will be understood from- Figs. 1 and5. Therefore, no special tool is required to manipulate the bolts into the 35 position shown in the drawings. The shank' portions ii of the bolts being non-circular and preferably rectangular in cross-section, said bolts are incapable of rotation in the rectangular openings in thetie-plate when the bolts are in 4 the positions shown in ;Figs. 1 and 5. r

In both of theembodimentsvoi' the invention herein illustrated. each bolt carries a spring clip which engages the rail flange and the top of the V tie-plate. The spring clip, which is shown in side 45 elevation in Fig. 1 and in perspective in Fig. 3,

has a hole 'IOItherein slightly larger than the threaded portion ll 'of thebolt; and said clip has at one side a downwardly and inwardlybent portion 2| adapted to engage the rail flange,'and 5 at the other side has a downwardly bent portion 22 adapted to engage the top of'the tie-plate, in the manner shown in Fig. 1. The downwardly and inwardly bent portion 2| of theclip is of such a length that its end engages one side of the 55 o rectangular shank portion IE of the bolt, thereby preventing the clip from being rotated on the bolt either while the nut I8 is being screwed down or by the wave movement of the rail. Furthermore, as best shown in Figs. li and 4, the downwardly and inwardly bent portion 2i of the clip has a cambered portion providing a concave surface 23 on its outside which engages the top of the rail flange 9 in a way'that permits wave motion 'of the rail without nicking or cutting of the rail flange by the edges of the clip. Thus it will be apparent that the spring clip shown in Figs. 1 to 4, in cooperation with its bolt, securely and yet resiliently holds the rail on the tie-plate I0. 7

The modifled form of spring clip shown in Figs. 5 and 6 will now be described. This clip has a hole 10' therein, adapted to receive the threaded portion of the bolt, and on one side has the downwardly and inwardly bent portion 2| and on the other side has the downwardly bent portion 22'. The portion 2l', instead of merely abutting. the shank of the bolt, is extended and is provided with a rectangular opening 24 thereinof such a size'that it. is. capable of receiving the rectangular shank of the bolt. I In this way, the clip is, prevented from rotating on the bolt as the nut is screwed down. As will be obvious fromFig. 5, the downwardly and inwardly bent portion 2| of the clipengages the top of the rail flange 9; and the downwardly bent portion 22", which is preferably of the form. shown inFlg. 5, engages the top of the tie-plate ill. .Thus the bolt and spring clip shown in Fig. 5 serve to securely and yet resiliently hold the rail in contactwith the tie-plate.

It is of importance that the tie-plate be held immovably on the top of the tie. For this purpase, I have utilized the form of spikeshown in Fig. 1, which has been found to be highly satisfactory. This spike has theusual head 25, but its shank 26 is characterized by the fact that one or more of the'surfaces thereof is made corrugated or wavy as shown in the drawings. When such a spike is driven into the tie, preferably into a previously drilled hole therein, the expansion of the wood into the wavy formations on the shank of the spike eifectively prevents it from being worked out of the tie by movement of the rail as the rolling stock passes over it. 'Iherefore,'the tie-plate is immovbly held in contact with the top ;of the tie. Thus the bolts and spring clips ,and'the particular spike which are herein described and illustrated, cooperatively serve to properly hold the rail securely and yet resiliently on the tie-plate, and to hold the tie-platefimmovably on the tie, in spite of the stresses and strains to which they are subjected while in use.

What is claimed is: r

I 1. For use in holding the base flange of a rail resiliently on a tie plate, a bolt adapted to be anchored to said tie plate and having a non-cylindrical shank adapted to assumes. vertical position adjacent the base flange of the rail and hav-' ing a cylindrical screw-threaded upperv end,' a spring clip having a hole therein adapted to receive the screw threaded end of said bolt and having at one side a downwardly and inwardly bent portion adapted to engage the rail flange.

and provided with an edge shaped to continuously contact and to assume substantialLv abutting engagement with a portion of the surface of the intermediate its ends and to flex the same longitudinally of said bolt toward the non-cylindrical shank thereof whereby the clamp may be placed under tension while engaging the tie plate and the base flange of the raila 2. For use in holding the'base flange of a rail resiliently on a tie plate, a bolt'adapted to be anchored to" said tie plate and having a noncylindrical shank adapted to assume a vertical position adjacent the base flange of the rail and having a cylindrical screw-threaded upper end, a

spring clip having a hole therein adapted to receive the-s'crew-threaded end of said bolt and having at one side a downwardly and "inwardly bent portion presenting a convex surface adapted to engage therail flange and provided with an edge shaped to continuously contact and to assume substantially abutting engagement with a portion of the surface of the non-cylindrical shank of said bolt whereby the clampls held against turning with relation to saidbolt, said clamp having on its'other side a downwardly bent portion adapted to'e'ngage the tie plate at a substantial distance from the point at which said downwardly and inwardly bent portion'is adapted to engage the rail flange, and a nut adapted to be run down ong'the screw-threaded end of said bolt and to-engage the clamp intermediate its ends and to flex the same longitudinally of sa d bolt'toward the non-cylindrical shank thereof whereby the clamp may be placed under tension while engaging the tie'plate and the base flange of therail.

a 3. For use in holding the'base flange of a rail resiliently on a tie plate, a bolt adapted to be anchored to said tie plate and having a non-cylindricalshank adapted to assume a vertical position adjacent the base flange of the rail and having a cylindrical screw-threaded upperend, a spring clip having a holetherein adapted to receive the-screw-threaded end of said bolt and having at one side a downwardly and inwardly bent portion adapted toengage the rail flange and provided with an opening conforming substantially to the cross-sectional contour of the non-cylindrical shank of said bolt and adapted to receive such shank whereby the clamp is held against turning with relation to said ,bolt, .said clamp having on its other side a downwardly bent portion adapted to engagethe tie plate at a substantial distance from the point at which said downwardly and inwardly bent portion is adapted to engage the rail flange, and a nut adapted to be run down onlthe screw-threaded end of said bolt and to engage the clamp intermediate its ends and to flex the same longitudinally of .said bolt toward the non-cylindrical shank thereof whereby the clamp may be placed under tension while engaging the tie plate and the base flange of,the rail.

LEVI BORDEN ARMSTRONG- 

